172 LOTM
Too late? After Klein's heart sank, he suddenly felt the Box of the Great Old Ones in his hand shake violently.
He hurriedly looked down and saw that the surface of the corpse cathedral's door, which had shrunken into a toy, emitted rays of light. Every twisted face on the white skull seemed to come alive.
Adam's corpse cathedral has such a high level? It can withstand the first level of 0-61 with just one door? Without any hesitation, Klein used the crimson star representing Leonard and locked onto a gas lamp on 7 Pinster Street.
Suddenly, the door with white bones protruding out with a distorted face returned to the real world. And on the first level of the Box of the Great Old Ones, there was an additional toy street lamp.
Right on the heels of that, Klein aimed at the Amon inside the corpse cathedral as he swiped his right hand, opening the second level of 0-61.
At that moment, Pallez Zoroast was no longer present on the battlefield. Without any qualms, Klein could move Amon elsewhere.
He had designated the destination to be the astral world, hoping that the seven deities would show "Him" "Their" love, but it was unknown if there would be a random anomaly.
At this moment, the door returned to the corpse cathedral. Then, the majestic building that overlapped with 7 Pinster Street quickly disintegrated.
The process of the collapse was very organized. First, it began from the dome, followed by the arches and the walls. It finally ended with the pitch-black stone pillars.
The item that fell didn't hit the ground and instead disappeared in midair.
Standing in front of the cross, Amon also began to dissipate along with the collapse of the entire corpse cathedral. It was as though "He" had also been "envisioned," an entity that could be removed at any time.
Of course, Klein knew very well that this was only Amon exploiting a loophole to use the expiration of the "imagined" corpse cathedral, so as to also become a figment of imagination to leave Backlund.
Boom!
At some point in time, a thick dark cloud appeared in midair. A ball of lightning the size of a house dragged a silvery-white stream of light as it ruthlessly smashed onto the corpse cathedral and Amon's body that had not completely disintegrated.
A fine crack appeared on Amon's crystal monocle as the pointed hat on "His" head collapsed.
However, this Angel of Time didn't panic. When "His" face twitched uncontrollably, "He" maintained "His" smile and held the crystal pillar formed from light and shadows. Like an illusion, "He" completely disintegrated as the sea of light that filled the corpse cathedral vanished.
In the next second, the pitch-black and bone-embedded towering cathedral returned to the realm of fantasy.
The house on 7 Pinster Street remained, but there were exaggerated marks on the living room's floor.
The mark was like a person lying there, having turned to ashes.
This was left behind by the countless avatars of Amon after they were smitten apart. However, Klein knew that Amon's true body had successfully escaped and had achieved "His" desired goal.
When "He" recovered, this King of Angels was just short of a ritual to reach the divine throne and become the embodiment of all that was erroneous in the world.
After I swapped the main door of the corpse cathedral, the first one to notice and react with "His" powers was the Lord of Storms... The Goddess really has no way of performing a divine descent. "She" can only use various mediums to interfere with reality, making it difficult for "Her" to affect "Him" when "He" is prepared...
...I was still feeling happy for myself that I managed to escape from Amon. I was satisfied that I had repeatedly avoided "Him" and didn't fall into "His" traps, but in the end, "He" ended up pulling off such a huge stunt without any prior warning...
...When did "He" transfer "His" focus to Backlund? Hmm, it should be after I deceived the laws to resurrect elsewhere. "He" caught a hint of Pallez Zoroast, as well as the fact that there's a connection between him and me. He began to target the last Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic so as to become a true god...
...Back then, Leonard didn't explain in detail when he was praying. He only mentioned that there was a problem with the treasure trove of the Jacob family... For a Sequence 1 angel who's so familiar with Amon to not notice anything amiss and fall into the trap, Amon must have done something incredible again...
Phew, although I've rapidly grown in my battle of wits with Amon and completed a transformation, I'm still far from being a top swindler like "Him." I'm still too tender...
Once Amon becomes a Sequence 0 Error and can even traverse the land, it will be tough for me...
No, I have to figure out the Marauder pathway's ritual to become a god. I need to think of a way to do some damage. I can't let Amon easily ascend to the divine throne...
But can this be what Amon wants? "He" will deliberately hold a ritual and wait for me to knock on "His" doorstep? As his thoughts raced, Klein let out a long sigh.
Then, he sent a message to Leonard in the tone of The Fool.
"There's no need to pray."
...
In Saint Samuel Cathedral, Leonard had just emerged from the soil in the garden. He was trying to rush into the prayer hall when he heard Mr. Fool's words.
There's no need to pray... Leonard slowed down as he repeated the sentence in a daze.
He slowed down and finally stopped beside a stone pillar. He lowered his head and raised his hands to cover his face.
At this moment, a slightly-aged voice suddenly echoed in his mind:
"What are you sad about? I haven't died yet!"
"Ah?" Leonard released his hands and said in a daze and pleasant surprise, "Old Man, you haven't died yet?"
His eyes were already slightly red.
"Look at you, what are you saying!" Pallez Zoroast's voice was clearly weak. "Ahem, to put it simply, I've died once, but not entirely yet."
Leonard finally heaved a sigh of relief and looked around. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he lowered his voice and said, "Did you successfully deceive Amon?"
"I can't really call it deceiving." Pallez Zoroast sighed and said, "All these years, the thing I've thought about the most is what I should do if Amon's true body finds me. After repeated experiments, I've also 'created' a technique. After my true body dies, I can revive in my avatar. However, I will lose the Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic and passively lower my level. Heh, I haven't been left behind by the times either."
"In other words, Amon killed you once and obtained your Sequence 1 characteristic while you resurrected at the Sequence 2 level?" Leonard had a rough idea of what was going on as he asked in confirmation.
Pallez Zoroast sighed and replied, "Something like that. Actually, it's not like Amon didn't notice it. 'He' didn't do anything to stop it when I pushed you out of the corpse cathedral. 'He' just wanted to leave some hope for me, and make me lose my will to fight to the death in the upcoming battle. Sigh, if not for that, I wouldn't have been finished by 'Him' so quickly. After all, I'd basically recovered after absorbing the treasure trove's Beyonder characteristic...
Leonard blurted out in surprise, "Old Man, you pushed me out of the corpse cathedral because I have your avatar in me?"
Pallez immediately scoffed.
"What do you think? Do you really think I'm treating you like a grandson?"
"...Don't you have other avatars?" Leonard muttered.
Pallez grunted and sighed.
"Amon actually lied to 'His' avatar. I must admit that 'He' pulled a fast one on me."
If it wasn't for the fact that "He" learned that the Angel of Time didn't know the exact situation of the Jacob family's treasure trove back when "He" absorbed Amon's avatars, "He" definitely would've taken more caution on the matter, and would've made more adequate preparations for Amon's appearance.
This was the most important reason. As for the other matters regarding the Jacob family's ancestor or Klein Moretti playing hide-and-seek with Amon's true body in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, none of them were key in "Him" making up "His" mind.
Leonard thought for a moment and consoled, "Old Man, you would've fallen for this most fatal of traps in the treasure trove regardless, so it isn't bad for you to have survived it."
"That's not it," Pallez immediately refuted. "If I had a premonition that something dangerous would happen, I would've directly taken up the faith of a true god and become 'Their' Grounded Angel. With 'Their' protection, I would head to Jacob family's treasure trove. Sigh, after I absorbed the characteristic and regained the strength of a Sequence 1, I was considering this problem. Should I join the Church of Evernight, or work with The Fool of yours, or remove the Parasitizing and hide from Amon like before."
Upon saying this, "His" emotions became very complicated again.
...Old Man really has quite a plan... Why are you so familiar with seeking refuge from a deity... Leonard sighed inwardly as he focused his attention on the most important matter.
"Old man, after Amon obtained your Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristic, will 'He' be preparing the apotheosis ritual?"
"Yes." Pallez replied in a deep voice, "This means that, for a very long period of time, your former colleague and ourselves would, at most, be harassed by Amon's lower-level avatars, or nothing at all."
"What is the requirement of 'His' apotheosis ritual?" Leonard pressed.
Pallez fell silent for a second before saying, "To replace someone during 'Their' apotheosis ritual."
At this point, Pallez laughed self-deprecatingly.
"Amon's next focus will definitely be the apotheosis ritual. This will be our last moments of peace and quiet.
"Once 'He' becomes a god, 'He' will definitely come to you to deal with The Fool through you.
"Although I can abandon you and run ahead of time, I have to worry that 'He' has the intention of retrieving all the characteristics at the angel level.
"Gain control of those rare spirits as soon as possible, digest the potion, and become a demigod. Wield a Holy Artifact, and obtain the favor of Evernight."
Leonard's expression turned serious as he slowly nodded.
He immediately found a quiet spot and informed Mr. Fool through a prayer of the key information.
...
Someone else's apotheosis ritual? The only one who seems to be able to become a god anytime soon is Adam... It's good if the two brothers end up fighting... The final period of peace... I hope that the avatars that Amon leaves behind to interfere with me won't be too strong. I hope that I can find traces of the Dark Demonic Wolf as soon as possible. I hope that Dorian will agree to the deal... Klein sighed and returned to the real world. He continued walking in the dark with his lantern raised.
-x-X-x-
Backlund, Cherwood Borough. 22 Hope Street, Hat Trick Inn.
With broad shoulders and thick arms, Dorian Gray Abraham unknowingly paced back and forth in the room, waiting for his student, Fors, to visit.
No matter how composed and mentally prepared he was, he couldn't help but feel nervous and uneasy when he eventually needed to face the answer.
After an unknown period of time, there was a series of knocks on the door.
Dorian listened to the rhythm for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. He walked to the door, twisted the handle, and pulled it back.
Outside the door was the brown-haired, curly-haired Fors, who was wearing a dark-colored long dress and a pair of tinted glasses.
Dorian habitually looked behind Fors, and after confirming that no one was looking in their direction, he made way for his student to pass.
At the same time, he glanced at Fors's hands and realized that his student wasn't carrying any luggage.
Dorian retracted his gaze and walked to the middle of the room. He found a seat and sat down before pointing to the sofa opposite him.
"Have a seat."
Fors cautiously lifted the ends of her skirt slightly, sat down, and greeted, "Good morning, Teacher."
Dorian didn't go straight to the point. After some thought, he said, "Did the lot of you really kill Botis?"
"Yes." Fors took out an exquisite, long cigar case from her pocket and opened it to show Dorian its interior.
It was a pair of dark-black eyes that were frozen with indescribable horror, as though they had seen something extremely terrifying before they died.
Dorian had originally been mentally prepared. It was just like receiving the terrifying head that would cause nightmares the previous time, one that was put together one bloody fragment at a time. He never expected his student to not carry any luggage and to only take out a ladies' cigar case.
This made him believe that it was a relic that could prove Botis's identity, but the truth was beyond his expectations once again.
This was still Botis's corpse, but there was even less than what Lewis Wien left behind!
Only a pair of eyes are left... The spiritual intuition of an Astrologer convinced Dorian that the eyeball belonged to Botis.
Seeing that the teacher had fallen silent, Fors subconsciously explained, "His body has completely collapsed and dissipated. Only this pair of eyeballs is still intact."
She paused for a moment before saying, "These eyeballs contain the remnants of the terror and contamination of the Box of the Great Old Ones before Botis's passing. It's a very strong cursed item, so I didn't send it directly to you. It would cause terrible things to happen to the postman, and he might even die unknowingly."
The corruption of the Box of the Great Old Ones... Dorian nodded in enlightenment and sighed with a smile.
"Did he eventually die under the hands of the Box of the Great Old Ones?
"This is really fate..."
The first item that Botis had stolen after his betrayal from leading the Aurora Order over was the Box of the Great Old Ones.
Fors had heard Ma'am Hermit's and Miss Justice's description of the general situation at the private gathering where they distributed the spoils of war. She learned how gorgeous and dangerous the battle she had missed was. She thought for a moment and said, "You could say that...
"However, before he was contaminated by the Box of the Great Old Ones, he had already begun losing control."
Dorian wasn't surprised as he said to his student, "Keep it. This is a spoil of war you deserve."
After Fors closed the cigar case and placed it back into her pocket, Dorian leaned forward, clasped his hands, and touched his nose.
"Botis was one of the most talented Apprentices I have ever seen. Who knew that he would end up like this..."
Having said that, Dorian let out a long sigh as though he was recalling and confessing something.
Fors didn't know much about the details of what had happened back then, so she didn't dare to speak recklessly. She could only remain silent and wait for her teacher to recover from his mixed emotions.
Ten seconds later, Dorian straightened his body and asked, "How did you digest the Scribe potion?"
This wasn't only to show concern for his student, but also to accumulate experience to provide some guidance to the other members of the family.
Fors's expression immediately turned complicated as though she was recalling something she didn't wish to recall.
"It's mainly because someone had provided me with help. On the one hand, I 'Recorded' a lot of unique or high-level abilities. On the other hand, I was brought to many places in the past few months where I 'Recorded' different cultures and beautiful scenery..."
Dorian fell silent for a moment before nodding.
"This isn't easy to imitate..."
He then asked, "Gehrman Sparrow?"
"Yes." Fors gave an affirmative response.
Dorian fell silent again. A few seconds later, he said, "What kind of deal does he want to make?
"Or rather, what does he want?"
Fors focused her attention and answered in an embarrassed manner, "He wants the potion formula of a Planeswalker, and he plans on using the Box of the Great Old Ones to exchange for one of the two Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts in your family's hands."
This price was definitely a generous offer. Fors had originally thought that Mr. World was going to use a promise to exchange for the Planeswalker potion formula and a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, but she never expected him to throw in the Box of the Great Old Ones.
Of course, it was definitely of value to allow the Abraham family to be free of the curse. However, a promise was forever a promise that might not be fulfilled.
Dorian wasn't surprised by Gehrman Sparrow's request for a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. He had long been mentally prepared, and instead, he felt that the conditions were beyond his imagination. After all, the Abraham family didn't have many things that a demigod could covet at this point in time.
He frowned slightly and said, "Why does he want the potion formula of a Planeswalker?"
"I don't know," Fors answered frankly.
Dorian stood up and started pacing.
Suddenly, he stopped and looked at Fors.
"I need to meet him and have a chat before I can make a decision."
"Alright." Fors agreed without any hesitation.
Dorian heaved a sigh of relief and prepared to send his student away before quickly taking out the medicine for his consumption.
He had arranged to meet at this time because he had taken into consideration that his curse would happen at any moment. If anything were to happen, the enemy wouldn't be able to channel his spirit in time.
However, after Fors got up, she didn't walk to the door. She stood on the spot and grabbed at the void.
Her arm suddenly sank, and she quickly pulled out a figure wearing a black trench coat and silk top hat.
This figure had black hair and brown eyes. His facial features were cut and cold. It was none other than Gehrman Sparrow.
Gehrman Sparrow's eyes moved slightly as he quickly recovered from his sluggish look and became no different from a real person.
"Teacher, he's here." Fors introduced seriously, "He's Gehrman Sparrow."
This action left Dorian Gray Abraham slightly agape. He forgot to close his mouth and didn't respond for a moment.
Although he came from an ancient family clan and knew many secrets, there were many things he couldn't imagine even if he read the description due to him being only a Sequence 7.
After moving his consciousness over, Klein reached into his clothes and took out a golden pocket watch.
Pa! He opened his pocket watch and took a look. Without any emotions, he said to Dorian, "You have three minutes."
...It's exactly as the rumors say. He's cold, arrogant, and crazy... Dorian didn't dare to waste any time and directly said, "Give me a reason to believe in your promise."
As he closed his pocket watch, Klein placed it back into his inner pocket and said, "In truth, I'm already aware of the ritual that allows Mr. Door to return."
Dorian's eyes lit up. Just as he was about to ask, he heard Gehrman Sparrow calmly add, "But I don't plan to do that."
"Why?" Dorian and Fors were puzzled, but one dared to ask while the other didn't.
Klein looked out the window and said, "Do you know about the corruption from the cosmos?"
When it came to understanding the cosmos, the Abraham family was definitely ranked first outside the true deities and angels. Klein believed that they must've left behind some hints and hidden records.
Dorian nodded solemnly and said, "Yes."
"I suspect that Mr. Door has been corrupted by the cosmos," Klein explained simply. "As for my promise, it can be fulfilled right away. However, you might not be willing to do so. Furthermore, it doesn't completely resolve the curse."
"What's the solution?" Dorian asked as he controlled his surging emotions.
Klein's expression immediately turned serious.
"You and your family members will change their faith to my Lord. That way, when the full moon or Blood Moon happens, you will be blessed and no longer suffer from the curse."
After completely digesting the Scholar of Yore potion, there was no need for him to pull a person above the gray fog to avoid Mr. Door's ravings. He could directly use "Angel's Embrace" to resolve the problem. The only thing he needed to worry about now was that there might be too many members of the Abraham family. It might overwhelm him, or he might not have enough spirituality.
"...Who is your Lord?" Dorian asked after a moment of silence.
Klein suppressed his shame and said solemnly, "The great Mr. Fool."
"The Fool... Are you from the Antigonus family?" Dorian suddenly made some connections.
Klein shook his head and rejected his guess.
Dorian fell silent again, but considering that there were only three minutes left, he hurriedly asked, "If we believe in that entity, we can avoid the troubles brought about by the curse?"
As an ancient family member, he knew very well how dangerous it was to believe in an unknown existence. He was afraid that he would resolve Mr. Door's ravings, but bring about another curse.
Klein answered frankly, "This is just a temporary solution. I will find a better solution for you."
Dorian nodded and quickly said, "I will try to believe in your Lord and give you the potion formula of Planeswalker. If the curse can really be resolved temporarily, we will complete the transaction of the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact."
He planned on using himself as an experiment to see if the method worked. Furthermore, he didn't plan on telling the other family members. He wanted to get them to wait for Gehrman Sparrow's supposedly better solution until they couldn't wait any longer.
"Alright." Klein took out a pen and paper from his pocket and scribbled the honorific name of The Fool.
As for Dorian, he also began to use a crystal ball to aid in his memories, recording down the potion formula of Planeswalker.
After the exchange, Klein cast his gaze towards the supplementary ingredients and ritual.
"Supplementary ingredients: One Worm of Star, one Worm of Time, one Worm of Spirit.
"Advancement ritual: Leave legends in nine places outside this planet."
-x-X-x-
Leave legends in nine places other than this planet... Isn't this the cosmos? Looking at the potion formula in his hand, Klein nearly frowned.
He felt that this was more dangerous than the advancement ritual of a Miracle Invoker.
Although the Box of the Great Old Ones and the two Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts of the Abraham family, as well as a number of Grade 1 Sealed Artifacts, had the ability to send people into the cosmos, making the ritual appear simple, he clearly remembered that the Church of Evernight's ascetic leader, Arianna, had once warned him that the cosmos contained extremely terrifying corruption. It was dangerous to even understand it before becoming an angel.
One will be corrupted by the cosmos if they aren't a Planeswalker, and to become a Planeswalker, one has to travel the cosmos... This has become an impasse. There's no way to resolve it... Perhaps, the Abraham family has records of relatively safe locations in the cosmos. I can't be too pessimistic... Also, I have to use divination to verify the authenticity of this formula when I'm back... Dorian not lying to me doesn't mean that he wouldn't be lied to... Klein retracted his gaze and looked at Dorian Gray Abraham opposite him.
"Where are all the Planeswalker Beyonder characteristics?"
Having memorized The Fool's honorific name, Dorian thought for two seconds before saying, "Two of them are in the form of Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts in our family. One is in the form of the Box of the Great Old Ones. One is said to be in the hands of the Demoness Sect, while another is with the Church of the God of Combat. There is one more, but no one has found it since the Second Epoch."
If I could use the Box of the Great Old Ones to exchange for one of the two relatively normal Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts of the Abraham family, I wouldn't have to worry about obtaining the Planeswalker Beyonder characteristic. However, that advancement ritual is truly a problem... Besides, the essence of this ritual is clearly to leave a mark in the cosmos. No matter how many changes are made, I won't be able to bypass the cosmos... Klein controlled his expression and nodded at Dorian.
"I hope you can find the answer when the crimson moon becomes full."
With that said, his figure rapidly turned faint, having reached Fors's limit.
Upon seeing Gehrman Sparrow "leave" like that, Dorian subconsciously looked down at the piece of paper with the honorific name of The Fool in his hand. He realized that it had also turned illusory and disappeared.
"..." Dorian was unable to find the correct answer from the various Beyonder powers recorded by his family. He turned to look at Fors, opened his mouth, intending to ask her.
At that moment, he felt a sudden pain in his heart as his pupils rapidly dilated.
Oh no! The curse is about to act up! Dorian hurriedly reached into his pocket to retrieve a small metal bottle. He opened the lid and gulped it down.
Clang!
His actions were so hurried that the lid of the metal bottle fell to the ground.
Fors watched as her teacher's face turned pale. She watched as he clutched his chest, unable to react to what had happened.
As a former surgeon, she quickly came to a conclusion and hurriedly said, "Teacher, are you having a heart attack?
"Do you have any special medicine?"
After asking the last question, Fors realized that she had been overly anxious and concerned, making her appear a little silly.
The bottle that the teacher drank was definitely the special medicine!
"Do you need any help? I have the 'Recorded' a Doctor's powers," Fors asked when she saw that her teacher had recovered based on his expression.
Dorian shook his head, indicating that he was fine.
At the same time, he sighed inwardly.
It's because you didn't do as I planned and had directly summoned Gehrman Sparrow into this room, causing me to not have time to drink the medicine.
...
Sonia Sea, the capital of the Rorsted Archipelago, the City of Generosity, Bayam.
The Blue Avenger docked at the port in the evening.
During that period of time, the damage brought to the sea traffic around Sonia Island by the Church of the Lord of Storms had finally attracted the actions of the Feysac Empire's demigods. Many "captains" had died in the line of duty, and their fleet had suffered a severe blow.
Alger Wilson and his crew avoided this attack while hiding in the primitive forest of the island while waiting for an opportunity to attack the port. After the Church of the Lord of Storms and the Loen naval army declared their goal for this battle had been achieved, they returned to Pasu Island to rest since it was over.
After that, Alger deliberately engaged in battle. He appeared pious, passionate, and fervent. He was praised by the cardinals as a result.
This was because he was familiar with the area around the Rorsted Archipelago. Without a doubt, he had been sent here to strengthen the naval forces of the important colony.
Of course, in order to avoid conflict with his past identity, he also made preparations for other matters in the future. Alger and his crew arrived in Bayam in the name of recruiting pirates.
In this war, many pirates were recruited, effectively making up for the losses of the navies of the various countries, just like the recruitment of mercenaries during the early- and mid-stages of the Fourth Epoch.
Taking advantage of the fact that there was still some light in the sky, Alger got off the boat and headed straight for Sea King Jahn Kottman's Cathedral of Waves.
As a Sequence 5 Ocean Songster, he had the right to directly meet the Church of the Lord of Storms's cardinal, a high-ranking deacon of the Mandated Punishers.
As he walked, Alger suddenly saw a familiar face.
It was a middle-aged man wearing a formal suit, a bow tie, and glasses. He looked rather refined, but Alger knew very well that he was a believer of Sea God Kalvetua. He had once been a pirate, and now he was a merchant that did business with both the authorities and the underworld.
"Long time no see, Ralph." Alger greeted the illegitimate child that had Loen, Feysac, and Rorsted mixed blood.
Ralph was stunned for a moment, as if he couldn't recognize the captain of the Blue Avenger.
"Alger? Our captain of the ghost ship?" After a few seconds, he asked in surprise.
Alger smiled and said, "Did I change a lot?"
Ralph frowned and replied, "Your temperament has changed a lot. It's even more like the ocean and dark clouds before a storm."
Quite a keen eye... However, this is an act I'm deliberately showing... After consuming the Ocean Songster potion, if there wasn't such a change, I wouldn't seem like someone from the Church of the Lord of Storms... Alger sighed and said, "Because there are too many things to worry about.
"Now, it's all good; I've already been hired by the Church of the Lord of Storms."
Ralph narrowed his eyes as a sense of vigilance rose in his heart. He laughed and said, "This is indeed a good thing—if there was no war."
Alger glanced at the spot where Ralph had just come out and asked, "When did a new... school appear here?"
He could see at a glance that there were four-story buildings, a cement field, a garden lawn, and many children happily playing.
The children had dark skin, but some of them didn't have bronze skin like the locals. Their hair was only slightly curled, and it wasn't too obvious.
Without a doubt, this group consisted of mixed-blood children.
Ralph looked back and sighed with a smile.
"Didn't you donate money to my charity foundation?
"Under God's guidance, I established a few schools in several large cities on the island, specially providing education, three meals, and accommodation for these discriminated children.
"Our childhood was gloomy, and I don't want them to be the same."
At the same time Ralph responded, Alger kept staring at the school. When Ralph was done speaking, Alger looked away and said, "I thought you would've taken at least half of it."
Ralph broke out into laughter.
"Seems like I left a terrible impression on you.
"How is it? What opinions do you have about this school?"
Alger sized him up and said, "Do you think I've been to school before?"
He paused for a moment before saying, "Which street is your charity foundation on? I might come to you for something in the future."
Thinking that the other party had been hired by the Church of the Lord of Storms, Ralph didn't dare to expose his connection to the Resistance. He chuckled and said, "It's fine to donate, but you don't have to come for anything else."
After giving the location of the charity foundation, Ralph returned home. He went up to the second floor and knocked on the door of a room.
"Lord Danitz, I have something to report."
In the room, a deep and dignified voice replied, "Come in."
...
Backlund, Cherwood Borough.
Dorian, who lived in a rented apartment, walked to the window. As the sun set, the sky gradually darkened.
The crimson moon would be full tonight, and the curse of the Abraham family would descend once again.
It had been a while since he had shaved his beard. Around his mouth, on both sides of his cheeks and lower jaw, there was a white mustache growing. It appeared out-of-place with his middle-aged man's appearance.
After looking for a while, Dorian bowed his head and recited in Jotun, "The Fool that doesn't belong to this era..."
After ending his prayer, he returned to his room and found a sofa to sit down. He waited for the crimson moon to rise and for the period when the spirituality was the strongest to arrive.
At that moment, in the ancient palace above the gray fog, Klein had already taken his seat that belonged to The Fool. He beckoned for a paper figurine.
The paper figurine was surrounded by the power of Sefirah Castle as it passed through Dorian's prayer light and landed on him.
During this process, Klein deliberately didn't show any effects, allowing the "angel" to silently embrace Dorian.
He felt that if Mr. Fool were to appear too bombastic, it would scare this ancient family's member, so he chose to keep a low profile.
The waiting process was always torturous. From time to time, Dorian would take out his pocket watch, click it open, and take a look. He wanted to know how long more before the full moon possessed its highest spirituality—this was something that could be inferred through the mysticism knowledge.
Finally, when it was almost dawn, Dorian instinctively bent down to reduce the pain brought by the curse.
However, as time passed, all he heard was complete silence. There were no buzzing ravings.
The crimson moonlight passed through the window and shone on Dorian. He looked up in a daze and felt that the surroundings were serene, calm, and indifferent. Nothing abnormal happened.
Dorian looked out of the window and saw the crimson moon. It was pure, dignified, gentle, and dreamy, as though it was hanging on his heart.
After a moment of silence, Dorian lowered his head and took out his pocket watch.
"..." He raised his right hand and rubbed his eyes. He covered his face and didn't loosen his grip for a long time.
The white mustache on his face gradually became messy, stained with tears and snot.
-x-X-x-
Inside the room, the crimson glow was like water that soaked every corner.
Dorian slowly lifted his head and looked at the full moon outside the oriel window. He didn't look away for a long time, as if he was admiring a beautiful scenery for the first time.
Phew... He let out a breath, stood up, and entered the bathroom. He turned on the tap, held up a mouthful of biting-cold water, and splashed it hard on his face.
After washing up, Dorian wiped his face with a towel and returned to the living room to sit on the sofa. He lowered his head and muttered piously, "Praise be to Mr. Fool!"
After completing his prayer, he walked into the study, took out a pen and paper, and wrote to Fors:
"...
"Please tell Mr. Gehrman Sparrow that I have confirmed his promise. I hope he can find a better way to resolve the curse...
"I will gather the other members of my family to discuss if I should use one of the two Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts in exchange for the Box of the Great Old Ones...
"Here, let me introduce the two Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts so that Mr. Gehrman Sparrow will have sufficient time to consider which one he wants.
"One of them is called 'Scroll of God.' It looks like an ordinary oil painting in a brass frame, but the content on it will change at random.
"When it shows different locations, the wielder can change the surroundings of the target, allowing the corresponding scene to descend.
"When it shows different figures, the wielder can allow those people to attack their targets with one target per figure.
"When it presents an abstract image that cannot be understood, different real effects will happen, and the only thing we know about the corresponding relationship is a very small portion;
"When it depicts doors, opening different 'doors' will move one to different places. There's no way to predict where the destination will be. It can be used to exile its target;
"When it shows the dark underground or deep cosmos, it will be extremely dangerous. It has to be sealed!
"If no one looks at it or takes in the marvel of the oil painting, then the person inside will come to life. They will reach out their hands from the oil painting, and slowly enter the real world. One must pay attention to this when sealing it!
"Once upon a time, when one of my family's branches were in charge of the Scroll of God, there was a mistake. No one appreciated it for a full minute. And at that moment, it presented an image of an angel revolving around a deity. Then, the deity came alive and walked out of the oil painting.
"That branch of my family was destroyed just like that. There were only a few members remaining who had lost their minds, while that deity had gone somewhere unknown, but the painting was left behind.
"We had been worried for quite some time, afraid that the deity would destroy the world. Fortunately, 'He' never appeared again. Perhaps 'He' had already been noticed by the seven deities and was dealt with.
"Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that this is a story made up by those who have lost their minds. However, for most of the members to have died overnight, with a small number going mad, that in itself implies enough.
"The other Grade 0 Sealed Artifact is called 'Staff of the Stars.' Its appearance is a black cane with embedded gems.
"While holding onto it, using corresponding scenes in your mind, one that truly exists and is still in existence, the staff will transport you directly to the destination, but you must be careful. The scene depicted must be absolutely correct. Every detail must be accurate. There cannot be any differences with the original. Otherwise, you will never know where your destination is;
"Similarly, while holding onto the Staff of the Stars, if some Beyonder powers or figures appear in your mind, this cane will reenact the corresponding powers and person. The latter will be a single attack. To achieve such an effect, one has to have sufficient understanding of the powers and figures. Otherwise, you have no idea what kind of anomaly will happen. Once, someone used the Staff of the Stars to release 'Lightning Storm,' but he ended up turning himself into a frog. Recovery was only possible once the method to remove the curse was found;
"The Staff of the Stars is sufficiently hard and can be used to attack. A person struck by it will randomly mutate or suffer strange effects. Previously, I used the Staff of the Stars to hit a Beyonder from the Aurora Order. The left side of his body was moved outside a door, and his right side remained where it was. His organs splattered out as a result;
"The Staff of the Stars will randomly move about. If it isn't properly sealed, it might disappear at some point in time and escape your control.
"When holding it, one's head has to be empty most of the time. This is because once an image appears, it can trigger the effects I described in the beginning;
"If there's no one holding onto it, all sorts of abnormalities will happen around the Staff of the Stars. It's hard to predict what will happen. It has to be sealed...
"Burn upon reading..."
After writing the letter, Dorian read it several times to make sure that there was no mistake before stuffing it into an envelope and pasting a stamp on it.
At that moment, in the ancient palace above the gray fog.
Through the prayer point of light, Klein had watched Dorian's entire process of writing the letter.
I seem to have forgotten to tell him that he can pass the corresponding information to Gehrman Sparrow through Mr. Fool... That's good too. I'll just treat this as a benefit of being a formal member of the Tarot Club. If every believer were to do this, I wouldn't be able to cope if I didn't leave any Worms of Spirit in Sefirah Castle... Yes, this can also effectively maintain Mr. Fool's prestige. It will ensure that the Abrahams won't dare to belittle Mr. Fool... Klein mumbled before turning his attention onto the two Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts.
He once again confirmed that Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts had severe negative effects and couldn't be used as common items.
Of course, their powers had extremely terrifying and potent effects. They were worthy of the grade "0."
In comparison, the Staff of the Stars is more suitable for me...
I can get Miss Justice to hypnotize me in advance so that my subconscious thoughts won't appear in the form of an image or scene. Only by consciously willing it in my mind will I be able to form the outline of a scene...
I wonder if the residents of the City of Silver will be able to leave the Forsaken Land of the Gods with the Staff of the Stars in their hands by just outlining the scene of Backlund's streets in their minds...
But there's no way to hypnotize them before this. They haven't really seen Backlund. Even if they restore the corresponding scene, it's difficult for them to accurately outline the details...
Anyway, it's very troublesome, but I can give it a try and choose a volunteer who isn't afraid of death...
If I can exchange for the Staff of the Stars, there's no need to rush to shatter it and turn it back into a characteristic. Who knows when it might come in handy. After all, the advancement ritual might not be completed...
With the Staff of the Stars, I can deal with the Dark Demonic Wolf and escape the Forsaken Land of the Gods right under the Dark Angel's nose. This will give me a little more confidence... Klein sighed as he made his decision.
At this moment, he discovered another truth.
That was if some of the members of the Abraham family followed Dorian and switched faiths to Mr. Fool, then even if he returned the Box of the Great Old Ones to them, it wouldn't be difficult to borrow it in the future.
In other words, out of the three Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts, the Staff of the Stars, the Scroll of God, and the Box of the Great Old Ones, he would gain the right to use two of them and have ownership over one.
It's still very useful to develop believers... When the time comes, wouldn't the Abraham family become a subordinate faction of the Tarot Club? However, Dorian definitely won't spread the faith of The Fool so quickly unless some members are already on the brink of losing control, without the ability to resist the curse of the next full moon. For some reason, he felt that the power of the Tarot Club was expanding.
He thought about it seriously and felt sad that he would have to respond to his believers twenty-four hours a day in the future.
Only by becoming an angel and truly gaining ownership of Sefirah Castle did he dare leave a few Worms of Spirit behind so as to resolve this problem.
If that really doesn't work, I'll get Arrodes to be my artificial intelligence customer service... Klein rubbed his temples and left the gray fog before returning to the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
...
Late at night, in the waters of the Rorsted Archipelago.
A huge sea monster quickly swam to its destination.
This was the "helper" that Alger had requested from Sea God Kalvetua. At the level of an Ocean Songster, he was still unable to control a creature of such size.
In truth, he could totally swim from Bayam, but that would be too tiring, and he wouldn't be able to resist any accidents.
A few seconds later, the sea monster opened its mouth. Alger swam out and approached a beautiful coral thicket.
After circling a few obstacles, a dark blue glow suddenly appeared in Alger's eyes.
Through this "dark blueness," he saw a beautiful coral palace.
It was so real, but no one could see it unless there was a specific medium.
Alger stared at it for a while before swimming forward. He came to the front of the palace and pushed open the door.
The churning water came to a halt as Alger passed through the barrier and landed on the ground thanks to the wind.
He looked around and saw that there were murals on both sides.
The contents of these murals weren't surprising. The people with elven faces mainly focused on resisting the storm.
However, Alger noticed that the ships weren't out at sea, but in the midst of a thick, nearly indestructible "blackness."
This made Alger think of a phrase: Abyss.
This is somewhat similar to the Abyss as spoken in legends, but it's just a little similar, and there aren't any Devils either... They seem to be coming from underground... These murals record the history of the elves? But they don't match the corresponding myths... The World said that each elvish word corresponds to a first-generation elf... As Alger pondered, he walked towards the nine steps ahead.
As he drew closer, he saw two thrones and a dark blue crystalline coral.
On the coral branches, silver bolts of lightning flashed, illuminating the surroundings.
Alger held his breath as he slowed down his pace and went up the stairs to the throne.
He extended his right hand solemnly and picked up the coral.
With a splashing sound, the seawater outside the palace suddenly churned. As for the coral, under the cover of a "dark blueness," it gradually turned illusory and merged into Alger's body.
Lightning bolts bloomed one after another like flower petals.
-x-X-x-
In the Forsaken Land of the Gods, at night when the frequency of lightning was very low.
A few humanoid creatures cautiously approached a meatball with six legs and more than ten eyes.
They were wrapped in animal skins or clothes with materials that couldn't be identified. With the help of a few lanterns, they passed through the endless darkness with heavy expressions.
On their faces, there were about ten to twenty tumors. Some of their eyes were nearly squeezed together, while others didn't have a nose, with only a black hole in that place.
After a series of intense battles, they managed to successfully finish off the monster and split into two groups. One group guarded the surroundings. and another group reaped the spoils of war.
During this process, the man with many meat tumors on his face dissected the monster's corpse. When he was searching for edible parts, he suddenly stopped.
"A'dal, what's the matter?" the woman without a nose asked curiously.
The man named A'dal slowly retracted his right hand and revealed an item he had found from the monster.
It was a stone-carved amulet covered with marks of corrosion.
"This is..." The man, whose eyes were nearly squeezed together, seemed to understand the reason and hesitated to finish his sentence.
A'dal surveyed the area and said, "Xin, Rus, this was given to my father when I was young.
"On the day I became an adult, he felt that he could no longer control himself. He chose to leave the city and enter the depths of the darkness..."
When Xin and Rus heard that, they fell silent for a moment. They could understand A'dal's feelings.
This was a common occurrence in Moon City.
As there was no safe edible food, they could only pick the mutated plant fruits and collect the flesh of monsters to maintain their survival.
This resulted in the accumulation of toxins and madness in the body. After a decline in their physical conditions, they would either die quickly or gradually lose control.
In order to not cause any damage to the surroundings and city, those who were part of the latter would often arrange everything after sensing that their conditions weren't right. With a torch and a small amount of food, they would leave the defensive perimeter and wander into the eternal darkness alone, never to return.
The residents of Moon City could imagine what would happen to them. They would either be killed by monsters or become monsters. There was no other possibility.
After seven to eight seconds of silence, the woman without a nose hesitantly said, "Perhaps, this is the monster that killed your father."
"It has a belt made of animal skin wrapped around it..." A'dal's voice gradually lowered. He picked up the dagger made of bone and forcefully inserted it, cutting out a relatively normal piece of flesh.
Amidst the silence, the members of the hunting team completed their harvest skillfully until Rus, whose eyes were nearly squeezed together, suddenly said in a deep voice, "There are more and more deformities amongst the newborn..."
The price of accumulating toxins and madness for generations wasn't as simple as reducing their average life expectancy. The people who still had normal physical conditions were gradually experiencing some mutations, just like A'dal who had many tumors on his face.
Similarly, the toxins and madness could also be passed down to their descendants, causing mutations to appear. Rus and Xin from the hunting team were examples.
Their lives would be even shorter, making it easier for them to lose control and mutate.
The more abnormalities there were, the more obvious the implications were. The hunting teams present knew very well that it might not take more than two to three generations before the residents of Moon City would lose control before they fully grew up or have children.
When that happened, even if there was no external attack, Moon City would quickly be destroyed, leaving behind only stone buildings and murals to prove their existence.
"I hope the High Priest and the others can find a new direction..." A'dal stood up with a lantern in hand as he answered weakly.
In the past two to three thousand years, it wasn't as if Moon City hadn't found a way to escape their current predicament. They had sent out teams of exploration teams that headed deep into the darkness. Some returned after suffering serious setbacks, with nothing to show for their efforts. Some disappeared into the boundless darkness, and nothing was heard from them ever again.
In addition, at a distance away, to the east of Moon City, was a grayish-white fog that blotted out the sky and land.
They were like invisible barriers that not only blocked one's vision, but also prevented any living beings from passing through.
The residents of Moon City once believed that this was a place of hope. They believed that the area covered by the grayish-white fog was a normal country. They believed that the other side of the gray fog was a land that wasn't cursed.
They attempted to enter the grayish-white fog again and again, but all their attempts failed.
They had dug a long passageway, hoping to pass through the invisible barrier by going underground. However, the region deep underground was also covered in grayish-white fog.
They tried ways to obtain the ability of flight before attempting to cross the barrier at high altitudes, but they didn't manage to see the top of the grayish-white fog before they were struck by lightning.
They mobilized the powers of all the demigods and Sealed Artifacts, attacking the target again and again. Over the past two to three thousand years, the cumulative attacks they performed failed to disperse the invisible barrier at all...
Upon hearing Captain A'dal's words, the members of the hunting team felt hopeless and sad. It was as though they were sliding down the edge of the abyss, but were unable to save themselves.
The deformed ones were people who found it difficult to control their emotions. At that moment, they more or less felt like they were suppressing something in their hearts, eager to unleash it.
In Moon City, a deformed person wasn't allowed to become a Beyonder or join the hunting teams two to three hundred years ago. They could only do harvesting work. However, as their manpower dwindled, the High Priest and the rest of the higher-ups relaxed the restrictions.
"Let's go. This bit of food isn't enough." A'dal looked around, carrying lanterns as he walked deeper into the darkness.
They didn't take the risk of extinguishing the fire, causing monsters to surge out in the darkness, as they might not be able to deal with them.
In such a quiet and suffocating environment, the members of the Moon City's hunting team couldn't help but have the feeling that they were enveloped in an endless darkness.
It was as though it was impossible to find hope regarding the present situation of Moon City, and the amount of time the lanterns in their hands could burn was decreasing.
When the last trace of light dissipated, they would be silently devoured by the darkness.
As they walked, a faint yellow light suddenly appeared in A'dal's eyes.
It was a glow that didn't belong to the hunting team!
This bit of light immediately shone into the eyes of all the members of the hunting team, filling their pupils.
A'dal, Xin, Rus, and company couldn't help but widen their eyes as they felt a deep sense of shock.
During their lifetime, there had never been any fires that came from external sources in the history of Moon City after the Cataclysm!
Indeed, many monsters possessed the powers of fire or the Sun domain, but before attacking, they were all hidden in the darkness without revealing any hint of light.
And now, a fiery glow appeared deep in the darkness!
A'dal, Xin, and Rus trembled slightly as they thought for a long time but couldn't think of an answer.
They quickly recalled the hunting arrangements and confirmed that it was impossible for residents of Moon City to be nearby.
Since the fiery glow didn't belong to Moon City, where did it come from?
The entire hunting team slowed down. They were shocked, surprised, curious, fearful, worried, and terrified.
They had also discovered some destroyed cities and knew that any abnormalities in the darkness could be fatal.
"...Be alert!" A'dal finally snapped out of his daze and gave the order.
The hunting team immediately took up a battle formation, waiting for the faint yellow light to approach.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment. Every second was slow. Finally, after the fiery glow grew bigger, a figure appeared.
A figure... There's only one person... The members of the Moon City hunting team held their breaths.
It seemed like, maybe, perhaps, they might have a chance of seeing an outsider!
Two to three thousand years had passed, and finally, someone else had stepped foot on this land.
They were not the only ones left in this abandoned world.
As for who could travel through endless darkness and reach this place, A'dal and company lacked experience, so they had no way of guessing.
As the fiery glow became bigger and more obvious, the hunting team members gradually saw the figure.
It was a slim young man. He had black hair and brown eyes, and his expression was cold. He was neither a deformed person nor had he any abnormal changes.
He wore a strange hat and strange clothes. He held a lantern made of special materials as he walked over from the darkness.
The light of his lantern was even brighter than the combined light of the hunting team. It made the surrounding darkness fade rapidly.
It didn't take long before the light shone on the bodies of the likes of A'dal, Xin, and Rus.
The figure stopped and looked at the Moon City hunting team. He asked in a low voice, "Where are you from?"
He spoke Jotun... His eyes are clear, and he can communicate... A'dal opened his mouth, stopping his subconscious urge to reply.
He asked in return, "Who are you?"
The figure with the glass lantern replied calmly, "Gehrman Sparrow."
After half a year of traveling and overcoming one difficult obstacle after another, Klein's spiritual intuition finally told him that he was finally reaching his destination.
And he had also encountered the first batch of living people in his trip across the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
"Where did you come from?" A'dal kept his guard up and pressed.
Klein swept his gaze across their faces and said without a change in tone, "I came from the City of Silver.
"And also from a land beyond the cursed lands."
Upon hearing this answer, all the members of the hunting team were in a daze. They suspected whether they were expecting too much, causing them to hallucinate.
...
In the autumn of 1351, Backlund, in the midst of the war.
Ever since Feynapotter declared war on Loen, the war that had been going on for some time had finally lost its balance. Loen and its allies—Lenburg, Masin, and Segar—had lost a large amount of territory, leaving only the last few lines of defense that they defended with great difficulty. They were on the brink of being overrun.
When she saw the long line of people at the food distribution center through the carriage window, Audrey slowly retracted her gaze and said to her personal maidservant, Annie, "Turn towards Saint Samuel Cathedral..."
-x-X-x-
As the carriage drove slowly along the road, Audrey's gaze subconsciously looked out the window.
Many passers-by stood by the roadside, staring at the horse that was pulling the carriage. Their eyes seemed to be emitting a greedy glint as they, the lucky ones, successfully collected their food. They ran through the streets surreptitiously and headed for home.
A team of policemen in black-and-white checkered uniforms were patrolling the streets. They had revolvers by their waists and batons in their hands—means to deter anyone from wanting to take risks.
"Recently, we don't even dare to go on the streets alone..." the personal maidservant, Annie, whispered to her.
Audrey nodded slightly but didn't respond.
After a while, the carriage arrived at Phelps Street and stopped at the square in front of Saint Samuel Cathedral.
The flock of pigeons that were usually here was nowhere to be seen.
The Loen Charity Bursary Foundation, as well as the subsequent establishment of the Loen Poverty Relief Foundation and the Loen Medical Charity Foundation, had all moved from 22 Phelps Street to a few small rooms in the cathedral. This was because the buildings that they were originally housed in had collapsed due to the previous airstrike.
To the staff of these three foundations, it was a harrowing memory. If they hadn't left 22 Phelps Street in advance due to different reasons, they would've long been killed.
After alighting from the carriage and walking through the main door, Audrey saw a black-haired, brown-eyed girl with a rather thin face approach.
Before the other party could speak, she said, "Melissa, is there any more food that can be distributed?"
Melissa shook her head solemnly.
"Even those injured soldiers who we provided relief for can't receive enough food..."
Audrey's green eyes dimmed. She didn't show her helplessness or weakness as she nodded slightly.
"I will think of a way."
...
"From the City of Silver...
"From a land beyond the cursed lands."
Gehrman Sparrow's words echoed in the ears of the Moon City hunting team members—A'dal, Xin, and Rus. It made them feel like they were in a dream, unable to regain their senses for a long time.
Just as A'dal gradually regained his senses and was thinking about what to say when Xin, who was born without a nose, inundated Klein with a series of questions.
"Where is the City of Silver? What does it look like? How far is it from here?
"How many normal people are there outside the cursed area?"
Klein glanced at her and replied in an emotionless voice, "The City of Silver is located on the other side of the cursed lands. They discovered a type of plant that can be eaten normally called 'Black-Faced Grass.' This has allowed them to maintain their kind's stability and effectively explore the depths of the darkness in a bid to find a way to leave.
"They recently found some mushrooms. These mushrooms can use monsters as nutrients, forming all kinds of fruits that do not contain toxins and madness.
"The City of Silver has gone one step further in escaping the madness. Once the newborns become adults, they wouldn't easily lose control even at old age..."
These words made A'dal, Xin and company feel lost, as though their own persistent efforts had no meaning.
The City of Silver described by Gehrman Sparrow was the most beautiful scene they could imagine; yet, it was something so easily possessed by others.
"...Are there any deformed newborns?" Xin asked in a dreamy tone.
Klein shook his head.
"Almost none."
"Will their parents walk into the depths of the darkness by themselves when their physical condition deteriorates—no, when they become old?" A'dal subconsciously pressed.
Wearing a black trench coat, a top hat, and holding a lantern, Klein replied, "No.
"Because they are burdened with the curse of killing their own kin. If a life cannot be ended by the hands of a blood relative, they will turn into a terrifying evil spirit or monster."
The members of the hunting team in Moon City finally found a sense of reality. Their hearts felt like they were slowly rising in warm water as bubbles slowly emerged.
These bubbles were weak, empty, and easily pricked. There was nothing inside, but they shimmered with something called hope and light.
Rus, whose eyes were nearly squeezed together, couldn't help but repeat the question:
"How many normal people are there outside the cursed area?"
Klein looked at them with a complicated expression.
"They are basically normal. They do not need to be constantly worried about monsters attacking them. They don't have to be afraid of being in the darkness. They don't go crazy after growing old. They aren't burdened by all kinds of curses. They see sunlight every day when they wake up, with sufficiently normal food. Every night, the crimson moon rises..."
However, all of this is being destroyed now... Klein silently added in his heart.
This time, A'dal, Xin, and Rus were somewhat at a loss. This was because they found Gehrman Sparrow's description as something imaginable, but also seemingly unimaginable. It was just like when they were reading the few ancient books remaining. They could get the spirit of the matter but found it hard to truly understand certain contexts.
They had no idea what the sun and what the crimson moon were.
However, to have normal food every day without the burden of various curses, the worry of monster attacks or darkness, and the lack of going crazy in old age was a beautiful dream they yearned for day and night.
There's such a place in this world? Is this what Heaven, as recorded in the ancient books, is? Was this land really cursed? The members of the Moon City hunting team fell silent once again.
One of them opened their mouth but was at a loss as to what to ask. Someone wanted to bring Gehrman Sparrow back to Moon City and inform the High Priest of the news, wanting to inform everyone, but he was afraid of attracting danger.
During this process, they didn't let down their guard or vigilance.
Klein wasn't the least bit surprised with their attitude. Instead, he felt that this was the reaction a civilization that could last to this day in the Forsaken Land of the Gods ought to have.
With the lantern in hand, he took a step to the left, attempting to walk around the humans who were dressed in strange materials or animal skins, and he continued heading east.
Regardless of what story these people had, whether it was worth helping them in passing, he planned to wait until he began his investigations before listening and considering things. This was because his spiritual intuition told him that his destination wasn't far, and that the legendary West Continent was just two to three hours away on foot.
The moment he took a step forward, A'dal and company immediately bent their backs, bracing themselves to defend and attack. However, they didn't manage to see Gehrman Sparrow approach them. They watched as he walked more than ten meters to the left and continue heading forward.
Seeing this young man dressed in strange black clothes and a strange black hat, with a strange and transparent lantern gradually distancing himself from them, the dim yellow light grew weaker and weaker. A'dal's face which was covered in tumors changed. He shouted loudly, "Who exactly are you?"
Klein didn't turn around. Instead, he held the lantern that emitted a faint yellow light and walked deeper into the darkness. He said in a regular tone, "A missionary.
"A person to spread my Lord's brilliance."
A'dal, Xin, and company looked at each other, their expressions filled with confusion.
They hesitated for a long while, but when there was only a small trace of the dim yellow light left, they instinctively took a step forward and followed behind Klein.
They didn't dare to approach him, nor did they want to have him leave their sight. They carried the food they had procured, as though they were monitoring and chasing him in a defensive manner. As for Klein, he walked at an adequate speed—not waiting for them or attempting to shake them off.
Just like that, both sides walked in silence under the sparse lightning. At some point in time, Rus and another hunting team had left the main group. They held the animal hide lantern and the food they had obtained and turned around, silently disappearing into the endless darkness.
Seconds changed to minutes before Klein finally stopped.
Using the lightning that streaked across the sky, he saw a grayish-white fog a few hundred meters away.
The mist was connected to the land and extended all the way into the sky, as though it didn't have an apex.
At the same time, the fog extended to the two sides without any end.
Klein looked at it intently for a long time. Even though there were partitions of darkness, he slowly raised his head. After the second bolt of lightning calmed down, he looked away.
Behind the fog or inside it is the disappeared Western Continent? As he thought with a heavy heart, he couldn't help but slow down his breathing.
He carried the lantern and continued forward until the dim yellow light emitted a solidified mist.
There was no need for him to make any other attempts. From his intuition as a Seer, he could tell that the grayish-white fog was an invisible barrier that couldn't be passed through by conventional means.
He thought for a moment and stretched out his right hand to scratch at the darkness in front of him again and again.
After doing it four to five consecutive times, Klein pulled out a black cane with many gems embedded in it.
This was the Staff of the Stars, a terrifying Sealed Artifact known as 0-62 that had been swapped using the Box of the Great Old Ones!
Of course, all he did was summon the historical projection of the Staff of the Stars.
This way, even if there were unnecessary scenes that appeared in his mind, he could use the removal of the Historical Void projection to stop any corresponding dangers that appeared in a timely manner.
To a Scholar of Yore, this was the best way to regularly use a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact. However, this limited the effects and was something that couldn't exceed three minutes at the moment. Furthermore, there was a certain difference with the original version when it came to their effects. Using a marionette to hold the Staff of the Stars wasn't the best way to avoid any negative effects. This was because a marionette needed to be controlled, and any control had a high chance of transmitting scenes.
Of course, if he engaged in a battle he was prepared for, Klein wouldn't have done so. This was because it would occupy one of his three precious summoning spots. Furthermore, although the Staff of the Stars belonged to him, it was only in a state of forced ownership, and it remained in a sealed state. Furthermore, the Grade 0 Sealed Artifact had a rather high level. It was impossible for Klein to successfully summon it at once, so it usually took him three to six attempts. In a fierce battle, it would require plenty of chances—nothing simple.
And it was precisely because of this that when he was prepared to "perform," he would hypnotize himself in advance. By using the Staff of the Stars in a special state, he would preserve the ability to summon Historical Void images like Miss Messenger, Mr. Azik, Ma'am Arianna, Will Auceptin, and other familiar angels.
Holding the black staff that was embedded with various gems, a scene of the door slowly opening appeared in Klein's mind.
The gems on the staff flashed with a faint glow as the grayish-white fog quickly outlined a door that wasn't sufficiently real.
The door opened silently, and behind it was still a gray fog.
Door Opening doesn't work... Although he wasn't surprised by the outcome, he was still a little disappointed.
He thought for a moment and decided to switch tactics.
However, just as he was thinking about it, the Staff of the Stars automatically activated as the corresponding scene appeared.
-x-X-x-
Just now, as Klein was thinking of a solution, an image naturally came to mind.
The clouds in the two mountains began to "boil" rapidly as they spread out to the left and right, revealing a crack whose bottom couldn't be seen. The orange-red rays of the sunset filled it and formed a corporeal path.
This was a scene created when Blasphemer Amon entered the projection of the Giant King's Court.
And just as he felt that he didn't know enough about the corresponding powers and planned on switching to another method. The red, green, blue, and transparent gems on the Staff of the Stars had already begun to emit a faint glow as they automatically activated.
The solidified grayish-white fog was similarly "boiling," but it wasn't that intense.
They were churning backward as they parted, but the area right in front of him remained an endless grayish-white mass. There was no end to it.
Klein sighed in his heart. As he focused on controlling his thoughts, he made other attempts.
In the past three minutes, he had tried hard at least ten times. Seven times were of his own will, while three times were him venting out, but he was ultimately unable to open the invisible barrier.
...Indeed, normal methods don't work... With a flick of his wrist, he allowed the historical projection of 0-62, which was close to its limit, to disappear from the real world.
He stared at the silent grayish-white fog and didn't move for about a minute. It was as if he had turned into a statue.
Finally, Klein closed his eyes and looked away. Holding the lantern in his hand, he walked towards the nearby humans who were watching.
He didn't plan on making blind attempts, because there was a high chance that he wouldn't succeed. He planned on asking the people who had stood guard in the vicinity for two to three thousand years. It was obvious that these ancient survivors had explored the grayish-white fog. He wanted to see if he could find inspiration from their years of experience.
Based on Klein's assumption, the humans would definitely react excessively towards him, so he had already prepared the corresponding powers to allow them to speak to him calmly. However, when he looked at the light of dusk on both sides of the lantern, he realized that the ugly or deformed humans were staring at him with their mouths agape. They looked confused and shocked, as if they had temporarily lost their ability to think.
Klein frowned slightly. In the darkness, he walked unhurriedly to the ancient survivors and stopped about two to three meters away.
"What do you know about this fog?" Klein asked in Jotun with a deep voice.
The language that could stir the powers of nature didn't have any differences because of geography. There was only a slight difference in the accent, but it wasn't much. If the original version was modified, there was a chance its effects in ritualistic magic would be lost.
It was only when Gehrman Sparrow raised the question that A'dal seemed to snap out of his daze. His lips quivered as he answered in an ambiguous tone, "We... We have never caused the fog to change before..."
Just now, Gehrman Sparrow had caused the fog to boil like water and part to the sides. This scene had really frightened them, as though they were witnessing a miracle.
The two to three thousand years of hard work from numerous generations of Moon City inhabitants were inferior to a person holding a staff with an attempt that didn't last more than two hundred heartbeats!
This was also the main reason why they had given up on resisting when Gehrman Sparrow approached them.
They instinctively believed that, no matter how they avoided him, it would be to no avail.
After two seconds of silence, Klein continued asking, "Do you have any corresponding records?"
At this moment, A'dal understood what Gehrman Sparrow meant. He hesitated for a moment and slowly nodded.
"Yes... However, only the High Priest and the others would frequently look through it."
Wearing a black trench coat and half top hat, Klein thought for a moment and suddenly reached out to pull out an item from the void.
It was a cross covered in bronze, with several sharp spikes protruding out from it.
It was the historical image of the ancient sun god's Unshadowed Crucifix!
With the cross in hand, Klein raised it a little higher and aimed it at the ancient survivors.
Pure, bright, and warm light bloomed, dispersing the darkness around them and illuminating them.
Their combat experience made them instinctively attempt to defend themselves, but their actions stopped midway through the process.
The brightness and warmth wasn't something a bonfire could compare with!
This made the remaining members of the Moon City hunting team recall the deities described by the ancient books and the High Priest. "They" were deities who emitted boundless light and brought boundless warmth.
Under the illumination of the bright, pure light, a distorted, struggling illusionary black gas that seemed to have a life of its own began to boil from the bodies of A'dal, Xin, and company, quickly rising and dissipating.
The members of the Moon City hunting team felt their bodies become more relaxed, and the pressure within their souls disappeared.
After purging the cumulative corruption and ailments of their bodies, Klein shook his wrist slightly, causing the Unshadowed Crucifix to disappear in front of him.
Right on the heels of that, he grabbed another cane that looked an ordinary wooden color.
This was the former City of Silver's Sealed Artifact, Life's Cane!
Although he had already sacrificed it to the Evernight Goddess, as long as it was once owned by a Scholar of Yore, it would only accompany them in a different way.
With Life's Cane in hand, Klein took a few steps forward and used the end of the cane to tap the leader of Moon City's hunting team.
The experience from before made A'dal unable to dodge. The tumors on his face began to crack as pus flowed, faded, and disappeared. In the end, there wasn't even a single scar left.
From the looks of his team members, A'dal knew that he had undergone a change. He hesitantly raised his right hand and touched his face. From top to bottom and back up again, he kept repeating it.
During this process, he realized that he was in an unprecedented healthy state, one that was better than when he first became an adult.
Klein didn't look at him. He took a step diagonally and used Life's Cane to treat the rest of the ancient survivors.
With A'dal as an example, Xin and the others were on their guard and alert as they accepted contact with the cane, and they felt that they had obtained a new lease of life.
Amongst them, the two deformed beings who were easily emotional couldn't help but tear up.
Unfortunately, I can't treat natural defects... Mental illnesses can be treated, but some crazy tendencies can't be treated... Klein retracted his right hand and let the historical projection of Life's Cane disappear.
He walked to his original spot and turned around. He looked at the ancient survivors and said, "I'm not here to destroy, but to spread the radiance of my Lord, bringing light and warmth.
"Go back and tell your leader that I'm here. If he's willing, he can come over."
He didn't attempt to find out where the gathering point of these ancient survivors was, nor did he plan on going there directly. This would trigger the strongest form of resistance and vigilance.
Hence, giving them the choice was the most suitable solution.
At that moment, A'dal, Xin, and the others were already shocked by Gehrman Sparrow's constant pulling out of mystical items. They felt that they were walking into a miracle and had already been cleansed by the divine light, allowing their physical condition to recover to its optimum state. It even exceeded their peak.
"...Alright." A few seconds later, A'dal responded.
Just as they turned around and prepared to return to Moon City, flames lit up from the depths of the darkness as they rapidly approached.
The leader was an old man wearing a dark brown beast hide. His hair was gray and unkempt, and his face was full of real cracks.
"High Priest..." After recognizing the other party, Xin blurted out.
It was none other than Moon City's High Priest, Nim.
Behind Nim followed Rus and the other members of the hunting team who had returned to the city ahead of time, as well as several other High-Sequence Beyonders.
Nim nodded at A'dal, Xin, and the rest before walking to the front of the group. Looking at the man who claimed to be a missionary, Gehrman Sparrow, he crossed his arms and bowed.
"Honorable guest, I am Moon City's High Priest, Nim.
"Moon City once belonged to vampires, but that civilization had been destroyed in ancient times.
"Afterwards, we accepted the orders of the great sun god, the Lord who created everything, and we moved here to watch the grayish-white fog and make the corresponding attempts. That continued on even though the land was cursed and the Lord didn't respond to us.
"To date, 3,722 years have passed."
-x-X-x-
3,722 years... Indeed, they were sent here when the ancient sun god was still alive... With the City of Silver's continued survival in the darkness for more than two thousand years as a reference, Klein easily confirmed the words of Moon City's High Priest.
He nodded slightly and asked, "Are you guarding this fog to prevent any anomalies from happening to it?"
The High Priest of Moon City, who was wrapped in dark brown beast hide, Nim, shook his head.
"The revelation that the Lord gave us was to guard the area all day. We needed to know if anyone walks out of the fog."
Walks out of the fog... The ancient sun god had a premonition that a person would walk out of this fog? If the other side of the fog is really the Western Continent, does this mean that there might still be life and civilization in it? When Klein heard this, an indescribable palpitation struck his heart, but he deeply realized a certain reality:
Amon's father—the second Creator—was actually unable to open this grayish-white fog, and even needed to send people here to watch over it!
Is there a specific method needed to pass through this invisible barrier? Uh, Mr. Hanged Man mentioned before that the Queen of Calamity, Cohinem, said that an incantation or command might be needed. Also, the premise is that the Western Continent has already resurfaced... As Klein looked at the High Priest with deep lines on his face, he said without batting an eyelid, "I believe they have already introduced me to you. I'm a missionary. I have come to this land to spread the light of the Lord."
The High Priest of Moon City, Nim, maintained his composure and used his gray eyes that were the same color as his long hair to look at Klein.
"Your Excellency, which existence do you believe in?"
Klein instinctively wanted to answer directly, but considering his identity as a missionary that he had set for himself previously, he held back his shame. With the ability of a Clown, he controlled his facial muscles and revealed a slightly fanatical expression.
"Please permit me to introduce you to my Lord, the savior of this land, the great Mr. Fool..."
The Fool... Moon City's High Priest, Nim, and the others didn't expect to hear such a word. For a moment, they found it strange, but for some reason, they felt that there was an infinite philosophy hidden within.
Finally, their attention was focused on the description:
"The savior of this land."
Nim couldn't help but turn his head to look at A'dal and the rest, observing their radiant faces.
As a Sequence 4 demigod, he knew very well that this was a result of the cleansing of the toxin and corruption accumulated within their bodies. Furthermore, the members of the hunting team had also been given excellent treatment. If he hadn't seen this group of young people grow up and remembered how they looked before the changes, he definitely wouldn't dare to confirm that they were residents of Moon City.
Seeing the High Priest look over, A'dal immediately said excitedly, "His Excellency Sparrow prayed for a deity's blessing to save us."
"Yes, we saw light! We felt warmth!" Xin, who was without a nose, added.
After the catharsis, she had unknowingly developed a certain belief towards the Lord that Gehrman Sparrow mentioned.
Compared to the Creator who had never responded to prayers and ignored the suffering that Moon City faced, this existence was more like a deity!
Rus and another member of the hunting team that went back to Moon City to inform the High Priest looked covetously at their former companions. They were both envious and had a yearning for the new life they had obtained.
The High Priest, Nim, retracted his gaze and looked at Gehrman Sparrow, who was wearing strange clothes and a strange hat.
"Is the great Mr. Fool a deity in this world—no, from outside this cursed land?"
Klein nodded solemnly and slowly.
"Yes."
"Then... what about the great sun god who created everything?" Nim hesitated for a moment before asking the question he desired answers to the most.
Klein changed his tone to that of a charlatan and said, "The Kings betrayed that existence. Blood, anger, foulness, and shadows began to flow across this land, triggering a huge calamity."
Nim's pupils dilated slightly, as if he wanted to absorb more light to see the world in front of him.
With great difficulty, he tried his best to suppress something and asked, "Are you saying that the Lord perished because of this?"
"Not only did 'He' perish, but 'His' flesh and blood were also eaten by the traitors. This piece of land was cursed as a result." Taking advantage of the fact that he was in the Forsaken Land of the Gods, Klein boldly said this.
He didn't deliberately distinguish the Amon brothers from the other six Kings of Angels. He planned on making the residents of Moon City believe that all the Kings of Angels were traitors. This way, they wouldn't be fooled by Amon in the future.
Over the past half a year of traveling and the various experiments he undertook, he was convinced that the Forsaken Land of the Gods really was sealed. Or rather, it was isolated from the outside world. The only point of contact was either the exit of the Giant King's Court, or something at the level of Sefirah Castle. Therefore, using the Staff of the Stars here allowed him to move within the confines of the cursed land. He was unable to head to the scenes in the outside world as outlined in his mind.
In addition, the Box of the Great Old Ones was even suppressed and isolated for its historical projection. The moment the summoning succeeded, the projection would immediately be devoured by the environment. It was completely useless.
This made him suspect that even the third level of the Box of the Great Old Ones was a little dangerous for true deities such as the True Creator.
Upon hearing Gehrman Sparrow's words, the body of the High Priest of Moon City, Nim, trembled slightly as his pockmarked face instantly turned ashen.
The faces of the Beyonders behind him changed as well. It was as if they had suffered an extremely serious blow. One even showed signs of losing control.
Seeing this, Klein reached out his hand again and pulled out Life's Cane from the void, allowing it to fly through the air and accurately tap the target.
The signs of the Beyonder's losing control immediately vanished. His forehead was covered in sweat as if he had just overcome a major illness.
Following the removal of the historical projection, Life's Cane quickly faded away. As for the Beyonders of Moon City, they finally managed to break free from the grievous news. Some of them were filled with suspicion and disbelief, and others were whimpering softly. Some looked at Gehrman Sparrow with a lost look, as though he was their final hope.
At some point in time, Nim's eyes had already closed. Two or three seconds later, he opened them again and looked at Gehrman Sparrow.
"What else do you have to ask?"
In less than a minute, he looked like he had aged considerably. His body was beginning to show signs of decay and depression. However, it wasn't completely without hope. It was as if the trees were rotting away, but they were beginning to give birth to new lives.
Klein half-turned and pointed at the coagulated gray fog with the lantern in his hand.
"Since when did you begin attempting to open this screen? What did you achieve?"
Nim said frankly, "In the beginning, it was the Lord's revelation. While 'He' wanted us to watch over it, 'He' also wanted us to think of a way to pass through the fog.
"After the land was cursed, we used this to mainly guide us so as to seek hope. However, we ultimately didn't achieve anything concrete. No matter what method we used, the solidified mist didn't react..."
Upon saying that, he hesitated and said, "It's not that there's no reaction, but it wasn't the reaction we wanted."
Klein instantly saw hope and maintained his normal speaking pace as he asked, "What was the reaction?"
Seeing that the High Priest was somewhat hesitant and not answering immediately, Xin took the initiative to say, "High Priest, His Excellency Sparrow has already parted a portion of the fog, a depth deeper than what we managed over the past two to three thousand years!"
Nim couldn't help but look deeply at Gehrman Sparrow before saying, "More than 1,730 years ago, the High Priest back then was inspired by the cruel fact that Moon City had failed to achieve anything in the past 2,000 years.
"He felt that we couldn't treat this fog as a seal that needed to be broken through. Instead, it was to be treated as a great existence.
"He designed the honorific name, prayer stanza, and the corresponding symbols for this fog. He held repeated rituals here, attempting communication, and praying."
...This is a train of thought that no normal person would've thought of... I didn't think of it just now... Indeed, after all these years, there must have been many people with strange ideas in Moon City... Three thousand years of time isn't for nothing... Klein sighed inwardly as he nodded slightly.
"Was there any feedback after that?"
With a nasal grunt as confirmation, Nim replied, "There was at one point when the High Priest changed the first sentence of the honorific name to 'The Eternally Imperturbable Fog'... Then, during the subsequent ritual, he vaguely heard a series of voices coming from deep within the fog. Unfortunately, he couldn't hear it clearly no matter how hard he tried, making it impossible to interpret it.
"From then on, the rituals we held were uncountable. We realized that a response wasn't always guaranteed. Even if there was a response, it might not be a timely one. We needed to wait patiently."
As the thoughts raced through his mind, Klein asked, "How many times does it roughly take to succeed?"
"There are no patterns. Sometimes, we succeed at once. Sometimes, we might not receive any feedback after a month," Nim said with a sigh. "We have made many alterations, but they were all useless."
"Did you hear what those voices said afterward?" Klein asked.
"No, maybe our Sequence isn't high enough or we are still lacking in strength." Nim shook his head.
If that's the reason, I can give it a try... After hesitating for a few seconds, he politely asked, "May you hold the correct ritual again? I would like to hear those voices."
This kind of politeness was something Nim couldn't refuse, nor did he dare to refuse.
He hesitated for a moment and said, "Sure, but many of the materials are in Moon City. You need to wait for some time."
After some thought, Klein asked, "Have you used those materials before?"
"Yes," Nimu answered in confusion.
Klein nodded indifferently.
"Let's just hold it now. Tell me when was the last time you used those materials and where they were nearby."